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We got 6-7" of the heavy white stuff last night. The 312H and 48" plow cleared 6 driveways in about 2 hours. Then I fired up the 520H with the tall chute for giggles. It hasn't been used for 3 years. Then back to the 312H to break some trails and haul a load of deer corn to the woods .

I believe this is a 1076, powered by a 12 hp K301 I also believe I have a decent 1276 hood and enough Charger panels left to make a decent worker! Oh and of course I must admit I’m especially excited for the mid mount grader blade!

Finally there was enough snow to use newly acquired 520 with blower and snow cab. A little intimidating at first specially by being enclosed and not having lot of visibility since its a little tight around here. It absolutely awesome. Makes plowing afterwards so much easier since I get rid of most of snow rather than just pile it on the sides. It looks like the big Ariens is going to be retired. IMG_5831.MOV

The best solution I have found is to take a Saws All and cut off the 45* fitting leaving as much pipe as you can. Once this is done take the Saws All and cut two slots close together in the pipe and carefully undercut them inside of the reducing bushing trying to not damage the threads in the bushing. After the two cuts have been made take a punch or chisel and collapse the pipe toward the center. Now the pipe will turn out of the fitting. It is one inch black iron pipe and can be found at Lowe's or HD.

I finally made up my mind and purchased a lift and I’m so glad I did. My knees and back are happy also. It is so much nicer than crawling around on a cold, hard concrete floor. I appreciated everyone’s suggestions as to the advantages and disadvantages of getting a lift.

Well, I think I'll probably go the new route, providing that the wife doesn't kill me first. I have a friend who is interested in my 12' trailer, so that would help offset the cost. I'm afraid of how the other trailer has been treated and the amount of work that would go into getting it up to snuff to make longer trips like the one to the big show. We have a dealer that is only about a hour away and only deals in trailers. They have an excellent reputation and are known for their fair pricing. Now, I've just got to wait on uncle sam to let go of the extra money my tax prep folks say he owes me.

Jim and I learned in a hurry that two sets of hands make the above process much easier than one set. There were some moments that even a 5th hand wouldn’t have been a bad idea but we made due with 4. Not saying that it would’ve been impossible with only one guy but I sure wouldn’t want to try it alone! It was fun to help out on that little project...

Easy Peasy. Being a lefty, I like to make the nipple splitting cut at the 10 o'clock location. It makes it easier to hit the chisel instead of my fingers.

Holy crappie EB that was well said and spoken lIke a tru addict... Seems like just yesterday you was a greenhorn!

Old faithful Charger 12 cleared all this driveway, front of shop and down past the barn to the ash dump and neighbors driveway this morning. Real men do not need cabs

Can’t much see what’s in my mirror, so I tossed in some extra shots... oh and the State of Michigan gained another Steed today...

Good eyes. I did replace the 6" with the 8" wheels mainly because I thought the 6"ers looked too small. I don't think it handles any different, but what I found was I get 1-2 more inches of lift on the plow before it hits the front axle. This is a real advantage when backing away from stacked snow and pulling up on snow to back drag it away from garage doors and vehicles. I also put the front tiller on this plow frame in the spring and the larger wheels give me the much needed extra lift range I need for the tiller.

The Cinnamon Horse as my new snow rig!!

#1. Most of us would say YES! It is worth taking the time to rebuild that particular engine. The c-160 and the k341 are very highly desirable tractor and engine. Some of us Wheelhorse people would even go so far as to say that they are the Holy Grail of the brand. The fact that you are not a collector of Wheelhorse as a tractor brand has really no bearing whatsoever on whether you should be restoring this tractor or not. I started getting into this particular brand about 3 years ago and I've been nothing but extremely impressed ever since. You have in your possession one of the most collectible and desirable and also CAPABLE tractors of it's vintage. The fact that it is a family heirloom of sorts just increases the reasons why I would tell you that you should keep it and put the time and money into it over a long-term. #2. Yes, you can remove the exhaust. They can be a bear but it is definitely possible. Patience and great quality penetrating oil are your friend. #3. The question of what's it worth is one that only you and a potential buyer can answer. I think it's reasonable to say that most garden tractors are pretty difficult to get a profitable return from a sale after you put dozens or hundreds of hours and hundreds or more dollars into one during the restoration. I personally would highly encourage you to keep that tractor and make it mechanically operable. Use it for a while and then maybe think about doing the aesthetic restoration later.

As Ed said here's my version basically taken from the xi series...and @cleat also did one too.

Here's mine. There were several other designs. Jeff @WV Hillbilly had one .

Sorry to hear the piston bone is no longer connected to the crank bone. The C-160 auto is a very desirable tractor plus yours has a family history. I hope you decide to keep it and rebuild the engine. The cost may seem high, but if it is done correctly, It will run for 40-50 more years. The exhaust removal is easy...we can help you with that. The value with a broken rod is $100-$200 depending how long you want to wait for the right buyer. Let us know what you decide.

I’m thinking this is a tool-needed top valve, the same location as the Charger has a roll pin looking thing through the shaft. I’ll play around with it when it’s above 9 degrees outside. For now, it’s tucked in the back barn.

Not that much has happend during the last week (whole family caught the flu) but did mount the tires today and replaced the bearings. And i did get some paint brushed on the gearbox. The keyway was not in the best shape so that will be welded up and shaped back to its original shape.

snow day, I found may 67

Well I see a dozer blade and a rear grader blade. There's also the rear fender of a 65 or later horse, but that YELLOW under the seat is throwing me off as to the rest of the tractor.

Rocks come in all different grits!

I'd go for new. I spent some time thinking what to do when I needed a bigger trailer. Decided new against what I could get second hand. With new you know everything is ok and it's not been abused. 12ft x 6ft.

Nothing, yet..... but there’s a little blue pickup en route!

Thanks for the tips guys! Seals are on order; i'll be replacing all-4. The garage was a balmy 45 degrees today so I tried to get as much painting in as possible... with another cold streak just over the horizon. More tractor incubation in our the basement "crafts room" Finally figured out what the InStride 1350 "does". And another personal milestone in the Red Square gauntlet... manual removal of 38 year old dry-rotted tires. I only slammed my shin with the tire iron once. ^^^ I had to cut the sidewall on the really crusty one. Heaven in a plastic jug:

Recently picked up a cheap C-120 as a project and was told all I had to do was put a new shift lever into it. The original one had the ball busted off the end of it. Ended up finding out it was owned by a kid who hacked and modified just about everything on it for use as his mud mower or something. Hood was filled with holes and all the wiring was a rat's nest. Was spray painted too and looks like absolute hell. When I thought it was the end of the problems I got the shifter all situated and it still wouldn't drive because the clutch needed work. After some hacking and welding and such I built a new clutch setup an got it to drive. Second and third both work fine in high and low but the trans won't shift into first or reverse. I'm assuming it has some rust on the 1/R shift cluster but I'm not too familiar with the inside of the unidrive transmissions. I can get it to go into gear if I take the shifter out and use a long 3/8" extension to pry the fork into the correct position but it's way too stiff to do with the handle and don't want to force it and end up busting the ball off the end of this one too. I traded an older Briggs 8hp I had for another WORKING 8-speed transaxle so I'm set already but I do want to fix the original to keep as a spare. Anyone else have any problems like this with their 8 speeds? I'd love to fix this without tearing it all apart but I have a feeling that's what I'll need to do. No oil showed up on the dipstick so who knows how long it's been dry.

Hey everybody! Sorry for disappearing again for a while, but again, other priorities. No I haven't quit this project yet, or the forum (and don't plan on it), but haven't accomplished very much since my last post. I'm still pursuing that unofficial title of the world record for longest restoration project ! Think I got a shot at it?? Seems like ever since i started this thing, I've been getting hammered with one unanticipated thing after another around the homestead. Been spending my latest time trying to imitate being a plasterer (believe me it's a POOR imitation) by repairing a large section of my living room ceiling that collapsed after a major roof leak late last year. I'd rather stick with fixing Wheel Horses anyday, but the Mrs. was getting a little tired of the post jacks holding the ceiling up in the middle of the living room! Almost done with that, but not quite. Anyway, back to the Wheel Horse that has patiently been waiting. Just to catch everyone up on my project, last week we had a sunny day here when the temp hit 60, so I finally got a chance to end the dilemma that had peaked my frustration level a while back. Remember the paint lifting on the rear wheels? Perfect day outdoors to get that problem solved. Thanks @Achto for the previous painting advice. I went with the plan of stripping them back down, priming with etching primer, priming over that with the Nason 2K primer, then final painting with the quart can of rustoleum through a spray gun. I think it worked out pretty well, at least NO MORE WRINKLES! Now I just need to wait for that eternity for this Rustoleum paint to adequately cure out (if that's possible) and take them back to the tire shop to get my old worn tires remounted along with the new inner tubes that I bought. Next crisis solved was the deal with the worn shaft hole in the attachment pedal as previously discussed. I went with the plan of forming a piece of 0.010" shim stock and inserted into the worn pedal hole. Fits like a glove, absolutely zero slop, just hope it lasts. Thanks again everyone for the tips! You may notice in the above photos, I also needed to fabricate a new 6398 trip lever due to wear on the shaft pin... ... and a new 5385 link (see top photo). And since you probably know me by now, all new bronze bearings installed in all pivot and rotation points. I also had to do a pretty easy repair on the 2179 height control rod that had a lot of wear on the hook end. Rather than make a new one, I just brazed up the original and filed back into profile. I have a photo of the before, but sorry forgot to take an after shot before mounting on the tractor, but I think you all get the idea. As far as work on the deck goes, still haven't had a chance to get into the heart of the thing yet, just a few little odds and ends that I'll save for another post. I did get the deck shell stripped in the electrolysis tank, had to do half at a time even using my wife's largest plastic storage bin as a tank . Need to do a little "bodywork" on that when I get a chance, so I'll get some photos up then. So again, I apologize for not staying regular with this thing and mostly for not even having the opportunity to follow a lot of the other members recent posts. Looks like at a glance, I've been missing out on some really neat stuff and great projects that others have undertaken. I really hope to change all of this if I can get back on track.

A LOTTA love!

A little love & it could look like this Kevin.

Tri ribs won't help Cas.. I went to V61s thinking that would be the cats's meow but they still just skid on well packed snow or ice. I can't run chains due to driveway damage. Just lift a bit on the blower and things straiten out. My kid had the cab off on his 416 and was whining about the visibilty. I have no idea what you guys are talkin about as I have no problem with vis even when the front gets covered with blow but somtimes could see the usefulness of the hard front and wiper. Just remember when in the cab keep your head on a swivel. Especially with that beast in tight quarters. Good topside lighting is a must after dark. Do you have Matts pedal kit? Another must as it leaves a hand free for othe duties and a wheel spinner is a must. I have been long hooked on blowing with these rigs! Have fun!

Hahahahahahahaha Thanks Jim. I think. I'm pretty sure.

ED, I would call you a seasoned veteran by the looks of your 312-H set-up for snowplowing,weights, shovel, beacon,safety triangle, ear protection etc.I like your extension lever for your hydraulic lift also. I remember when I bought my 312-8 and within 6 months WH came out with the 312-H in 1990 I believe.I was a little upset to say the least, the 520-H was just to much more money.I have enjoyed the 8 speed but nothing like a hydro for snow removal. Any chance to see some pictures of your 417-A tractors someday.Have enjoyed your pics while sitting in front of the woodstove this evening. Thank you.

I got my project complete 520H, Matt's hydro pedal and front end loader! Got to use it in the last snow and it worked great! I had to change the hydraulic lines around the controls worked backwards to what I'm used to, but the was no big deal. I can't wait to use it this spring on different projects.

I hear ya Craig, but I have to have an open trailer to haul a lot of other things - gravel, lumber, farm tractors etc... Bigger would help all the way around.

It looked a lot worse then that one. Had 1/2" of grass on top of the gas tank that had already turn into a solid mass. I got the rear fender area then i pulled another panel off the dash tower. If a Wheel Horse every needed saving this is one of them. I think it would have been completely rusted out in another 3 or 4 years.

You know I can’t leave well enough alone... it already has a new hood on it!

Hi, and welcome to Red Square I'm pretty sure you have the #5091 8 speed transmission with an 8 pinion differential. I am going to recommend, because of the kid from before and no oil on the dip stick, that you open it up. It is fairly easy to do and we can walk you through the process. Usually, once apart, you just have to wire wheel the gears and shafts and change out the seals and gasket. If there is a ton of rust, electrolysis works real good, but let's see what you have first. Here is a thread with videos that (while not your trans) is close enough so you get the idea. Actually, the only difference is the differential. Without knowing what that kid was doing, you are just better off going in and take a look. I'm also going to link the manual for doing the trans work...your transmission is "Section V".

these were my grandparents magazine's left behind never really noticed all the garden tractor ads, then again nobody has looked at these in decades

NOOOOOOOO!!!

Ole girl wants to mark her spot

Sounds like the vent in the gas cap is clogged. If the engine runs with the cap loose, then stops shortly after it's tightened, you have a clogged vent.

I have the smaller unit mounted to a piece of two-inch tubing that can go into the receiver of my C165 or any vehicle that is used to tow a trailer,

I’m kinda a basic guy. I vote for indoor plumbing. Don’t laugh. I’ve been all over Virginia and the Appalachian areas of PA , Kentucky and WVA and it’s not uncommon still to see out houses. Whereas in Afghanistan, rocks are commonly utilized because toilet paper is a modern concept. So I guess it’s ones frame of reference. But I wouldn’t give up my impact gun either......

Oh Boy...here we go...I don't see a trailer back there?!?!

The Attach A Matic system has been around for a few decades and several implements like cultivators and the early design of the Mid Mount Grader Blade work with it.

$900 + tires+sides+tail gate,+fenders. Hook up and go with all new for $1800 sounds like the better deal to me.

Yah just too cold out for messin with now....

This is the snow blower I've been using this winter a 1973 16 Auto, I must say I do enjoy that hydro lift

We would love to see more pictures of your RJ. You can find all the seals and bearings here. https://www.wheelhorsepartsandmore.com/transmissions.html